Panasonic PV-GS320 3.1MP 3CCD MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend For impressive video and still images, Panasonic PV-GS320 is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but is not short on innovative features. This camcorder incorporates the same type of 3CCD imaging system used in Panasonic's celebrated professional camcorders. Individual CCDs are used to reproduce the red, green and blue colors that compose an image for vivid, true-to-life pictures with remarkable depth and presence. The PV-GS320 also… Product details and pricing info |
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56 Customer Reviews Posted
- Panasonic PV-GS 320
- I got this video camera to replace an aging Panasonic PV-401. I especially wanted the 3 ccd feature, the 10x optical zoom, and the image stabilizer, in a DV format (since I have many DV tapes, and have read DV gives better recording quality).
I've been pleased with the camera, especially the 3.1 MP photo capability, which works with the zoom and image stabilizer. This means only one camera to carry for both video and stills. With a powerful optical zoom, 3.1 MP is plenty for my purposes, and I can save hundreds of photos on an inexpensive 2-GB SD memory.
Its lighter weight and smaller form factor are attractive, and it easily fits in the camera bag used for the PV-401. The revised interface took some getting used to, but it is an improvement on the PV-401, once you get used to it. The manual is pretty comprehensive, and is also available online, a nice feature I really appreciate after the PV-401 manual got soaked and became unusable.
The included remote is convenient for playback when attached to a TV or A/V system, or remote recording.
One minor problem was the included video editing software incompatibility with Windows Vista. But with the Vista MediaCenter capability, it isn't really necessary. The photos are recognized by the Vista OS, and can be downloaded easily.
One other plus - it cost less than the PV-401, but has greatly enhanced features. - 2007-09-17, 13 of 13 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Good Value for money
- PROS : Very good quality of video, OIS, Manual Iris
CONS : No Microphone input, not impressed in low light (Magicpix), All interfaces behind the battery
Very impressed by the PV-GS320's optical image stabilization. The image was steady when zoomed at 10x. As the specs mentioned about 10X optical zoom you can zoom till 25X by losing minimum video clarity. The Digital zoom 700x upto me is not useful bcoz when you zoom at half of its digital zoom capacity its looks grainy. Auto focus was good at this level of camera but not best.Read more review at http://myownreviews.blogspot.com/2007/08/panasonic-pv-gs320-review_6780.html It does a great job of capturing high-quality video in auto mode and provides just enough manual control to satisfy the needs of beginners and some advanced amateurs. - 2007-09-02, 3 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Works GREAT with a Mac!
- This camera works fantastic with our iMac & Macbook. It is a breeze to get video from the camera into iMovie. I accomplished it on my first attempt & no documentation was required.
You make the connection via Firewire, turn the camcorder to "play" mode and iMovie will detect the connection. You just click the "import" button and watch your video be copied over. The video quality is fantastic. My wife was really impressed.
We made the mistake of originally buying a JVC Everio (hard drive based camcorder). While it was possible to get the video onto our Mac, it was by no means easy. After going through about 300 different procedures, you would finally be done. But then it was complicated to manage the files. It was a giant waste of money & time.
This camera worked easily right out of the box. I am highly impressed. And of course, because we own Mac's, we didn't have to waste time by installing stupid software onto our computers (the unit does come with a CD-ROM for PC's).
We paid $365 for this unit. All in all - fantastic camcorder! - 2007-09-01, 18 of 18 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great camera for the money
- This was our first video camera and we bought it for a trip to Alaska. We were very happy with the results. If you use the basic "automatic" controls the camera has a short learning curve; more advanced features take a bit longer. We were especially surprised with the quality of the still photos taken with this camera - in some cases, especially when the maximum zoom was used, they were better than the photos taken with a 9 MP digital still camera. One of the keys is probably the 3 CCD feature, which is not very common on cameras in this price range. We'd suggest you get an extra battery with extra capacity to be sure you don't run out of power on a long day of travel.
- 2007-07-18, 8 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Perfect Camcorder for us
- I've had a Canon Z45 for over 5 years and it has provided me with reliable performance and decent quality for home and vacation video. When we purchased our 42" widescreen TV and began taping in 16:9 aspect ratio, we found during playback that the image quality was definitely hurting. I thought I should replace my Canon with a HD Camcorder, however, my research failed to convince me that the time is right - high cost, various recording media, difficulties editing and unknown capability to transfer to a standard DVD. I currently like the ease of making DVDs to share with family and friends with our HDD recorder.
Researched standard definition camcorders and I was sold on the PV-GS320. 3 CCD sensor, 10x optical zoom, image stabilization, size/weight and great price. I am amazed at the quality of the video and sound - it is absolutely phenomenal - to quote others `crisp image, true-to-life colors'. To my eyes it's close enough to HD for my videos. My wife was skeptical of the need for a new camcorder but when she saw the first video, she was astonished at the difference. My wife and daughters enjoy the playback with the remote for slow motion and freeze frame. It is a great tool for critiquing my daughters' swim strokes.
Great price, received in 3 days. Easy to set up and use. My 10 & 12 year old daughters have no problem taping, playing back or using the joystick. Others have criticized the lack of a microphone input and the quality of the digital camera. I believe the internal microphone is excellent and I have a good digital camera for taking still shots. Battery life is short - ordered a CGA DU-21. - 2007-07-17, 15 of 15 people found this review helpful, Rated:
